Hawkbat Clan had dispersed for their afternoon recess, and Serena was sitting in her tiny office, grading their reports on the ancient Sith War. As she read through another page of halting prose, she rubbed her eyes, then put down the datapad.

Master Dremmel had told her she was ready. For the Trials. She would be summoned tomorrow. The Trials of Skill, Flesh, Courage, and of Spirit. She was so nervous and distracted that her thoughts were becoming disjointed.

Closing her eyes Serena took a deep breath, held it, and then blew it out slowly. The papers could wait. The younglings were to be part of a tournament in a few days, and if she passed the Jedi Trials then she might well be choosing her first padawan. For now, she needed to meditate and clear her mind.

Closing her eyes again, Serena folded her hands in her lap and slowly relaxed her shoulders and then her back. Breathe in... breathe out... She was the leaf on the river. The sap in the tree.

The grass in the breeze.

The loud knocking on the door.

Serena frowned, and then relaxed her face and opened her eyes. "Come in," she said calmly.